By Rachel Helmer
The shopping mall of the future is here, and it’s not a place you can find on a map. As mega malls and shopping centers of the past struggle for foot traffic, online shopping rates continue to climb.
The Commerce Department reported that online purchases accounted for more sales than general merchandise for the first time in history this year in the United States. If you are selling a consumer lifestyle product and not marketing your product online, you are missing a massive chunk of potential customers. The world of online marketing may seem overwhelming when you are managing the million other things you need to juggle when running a business. From social media posting and ads to blogs and newsletters, the online marketing options can seem endless when you start to dig into your options.
Take a deep breath and never fear, we are here to simplify things by breaking it down into our three favorite online marketing practices.
Social Media Posting Campaigns
There is no argument, social media marketing is still king when it comes to selling consumer lifestyle products. Whatever you are selling, from beauty products and fashion accessories to snack foods and beverages. One of the top places where people discover their next must-have purchase is on their social media channels. Through posts from friends or trusted influencers and brands they may follow, people are literally window shopping as they swipe through their feeds.
As a consumer lifestyle product, curating a posting strategy that captures your brand voice and shares your story in an authentic manner is key to earning the trust of your audience. Videos and images that showcase the essence of the brand and lifestyle one can expect from purchasing the product, paired with copy that is informative, concise and engaging will result in building an audience of followers that will translate to customers and brand ambassadors.
Social Media Advertising
Having a robust social media posting campaign is key to online marketing success.
The icing on the social media cake is social media advertising. One of the great things about social media for consumer lifestyle marketing is the ability to share your product with your target customer that does not yet realize you exist. You know when you are searching for something online or even emailing with a friend about something and then 30 minutes later an ad for something related to that topic comes up on your social feed?
With social ads you can reach your exact target audience and serve them curated posts that showcase your product. Nearly gone now are the days of consumers being served ads that have nothing to do with them or their interests. Targeting has gotten so honed in and specific that even our expert team of ad strategists are tickled pink when an ad for something right up their ally hits their personal feeds.
Blogs and Newsletters
Another great way to reach your online audience in an authentic manner is through blogs and newsletters. Both offer up a chance for your brand to provide something of value to customers and potential future customers. When crafting these you can, of course, sprinkle in new product announcements, specials and features but you want to also always offer content that informs and or entertains.
People do not read blogs and newsletters with the intent of being served ads. Think of it as the spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. Promotional pieces can be sprinkled in, but it must be done so in a way that also offers up some new information that your customer base might find useful or copy that is so wittily written that it leaves your reader anxiously awaiting your next piece.
Content marketing is all about turning glances into stares. When it comes to deciding what to share, focus on who your audience/buyer is and what it is that they would want to see. If your product is boring, be entertaining. If it’s complicated or confusing, be informative. People rarely share content directly from a corporate site, but they will share from a blog that is run by that corporation. This is why for example, when you look at the Jimbo’s website they focus on education and recipes rather than solely on products.
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Are you ready to begin reaching and engaging with an authentic target audience of potential future customers and brand ambassadors? Get in touch with us to get your consumer lifestyle product campaign off the ground: info@olivecreativestrategies.com.